Personnel

Sanjay Pyare, Ph.D.

Dr. Sanjay Pyare is a UAS Associate Professor of Geography and Environmental Science and the director of SEALAB. His research interests include spatial analyses, ecosystem services, integrated ecosystem modeling, biogeography and supporting the needs information of resource managers. He is leading a multi-disciplinary effort to understand ecosystem services in the "icefield to estuary" system of Southeast Alaska. He lives in Juneau, AK with his wife and two children. Click here to view Sanjay's current CV.

Kim Homan

Kim is the GIS Coordinator for the Southeast Alaska GIS Library, hosted at the University of Alaska Southeast. With almost 20 years of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) experience, she has worked for federal, tribal, state, county and city governments, as well as a private consultant. Kim is an enthusiastic supporter of data sharing and collaboration. She also plays the role of "Metadata Coach" in Southeast Alaska.

Stephen Ellison

Steve is a SEALAB Research Technician and UAS alumni, receiving a B.S in Math in 2011. In cooperation with the Alaska Climate Science Center, he assists with climate, hydro-ecological, and ecosystem based assessments, including an analysis of trends in run-timing of salmon in Southeast Alaska and Northern British Columbia. Steve likes to fish and hunt, especially on his native Prince of Wales Island.

Tory Rhoads

Tory is a Research Technician for SEALAB assisting with various GIS projects. She holds a B.S. in Natural Sciences from The University of Alaska Anchorage and has previous experience in both fisheries science and veterinary medicine. Tory is currently in the midst of working on a broad scale landcover mapping project for the coastal Pacific Northwest. In her spare time, she enjoys pursuing outdoor adventures with her dog, traveling and knitting.

Jeff Frederick

Jeff Frederick supports various wildlife projects for SEALAB including avian migration and amphibian ecology research. He holds a B.S. in Biology from Christopher Newport University and is a NOLS graduate. Additionally, Jeff is a graduate student at UAF pursuing an M.S. in Wildlife Biology under Sanjay Pyare studying climate model downscaling and thermoregulatory constraints on mountain goat foraging behavior. In his spare time, Jeff likes to snowboard and enjoy the outdoors with his dog Summit.

Ethan Nichols

Ethan is a SEALAB Research technician who holds a B.S. in Geography and Environmental Resources from UAS. His current research efforts focus on developing a historic stream temperature database for Southeast Alaska and analyzing long-term stream temperature trends in relation to other local climate variables. Past research projects included analyzing changes in phenology of salmon returning to streams in Southeast. In his free time he can be found playing music, backpacking, and traveling.

Pat Dryer

Pat is a Research Professional at UAS as part of the EPSCoR Project. His research interests include fluvial geomorphology, hydrology, GIS, snow science, and glaciology. Previously a Research Technician with the University of Alaska Fairbanks Geophysical Institute, Pat traveled around Southeast Alaska and Greenland researching the interaction of tidewater glaciers and glacial retreat. Pat holds a MS in Geospatial Sciences from Missouri State University and a BA in Physical Geography from the University of Wisconsin Eau Claire. In his spare time you can find him backcountry skiing, hunting, fishing, and spending long hours on his boat with his wife and dog exploring Southeast Alaska.

Affiliates

Julie Nielsen

Julie is a former Research Analyst at SEALAB and currently a Ph.D. student in Fisheries at the University of Alaska School of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences in Juneau, Alaska. Her research interests include characterizing the spatial distribution and movement of fish populations and developing analysis methods and technologies for determining fish movement. Her Ph.D. research is focused on the movement of migratory demersal fishes (Pacific halibut, Pacific cod, and sablefish) at multiple scales using acoustic telemetry and newly-developed geomagnetic archival tags.

Colin Shanley

Colin is a Conservation Planner and GIS Analyst for the Alaska Chapter of The Nature Conservancy. His research interests broadly explore the intersection of applied ecology and natural resource conservation utilizing geospatial tools and quantitative modeling. He was previously a Research Associate at the University of Alaska Southeast and a Fellow in the NSF IGERT Resilience and Adaptation Program at the University of Alaska Fairbanks.

Frances Biles

Frances is a Geographer with the U.S. Forest Service, Pacific Northwest Research Station (PNW) in Juneau, Alaska. She pursued her interests in biogeography and statistics at the University of Georgia, receiving a master's degree in geography in 1995. Frances enjoys trying to understand the ecological processes of the North American coastal temperate rainforest through the application of geospatial and statistical methods. Her current research efforts focus on developing regional watershed hydrology and nutrient flux models.

Tania Lewis

Tania is a wildlife biologist for Glacier Bay National Park and a graduate student at the University of Alaska. Her research interests include documenting the ecological effects of changing climate and landscape, determining animal colonization patterns of recently deglaciated areas, and mitigating negative human impacts to wildlife. Whether at work or at play, Tania likes to spend time in wild places. Her free time is often spent adventuring by foot, ski, or non-motorized boat with friends and family.